Locking turn key with push button



Sept. 15, 1964 w. c. NlSE LOCKING TURN KEY WITH PUSH BUTTON Filed May 14, 1962 mmvrm WILFRED c. m ss ATTY United States Patent ()fiice 3,149,215 Patented Sept. 15, 1964 3,149,215 LGiIKING TURN KEY "WZTH "3.1311 BUTTN Wilfred C. N se, fies Plaines, 111., wsignor to Automatic Electric lL-ahoratories, Inn, Northlake, 112., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 14, 1962, Ser. No. $4,247 6 Claims. (Cl. 20il153) My invention relates in general to a circuit controlling turn key and more specifically to a circuit controlling key which has a handle which is turned to close or open circuit closing springs, which locks in its operated position, and which may be quickly released from its locked position by pressing the end of the handle or by turning the same back to its normal position.

Keys of this type have many uses and this key was designed primarily for use in the new compact telephones wherein it is desired to provide a key of this type for various purposes such as holding a line, exclusion of a scoretary from the connection, picking up another line and various other uses. The key of my present design is especially adaptable for such uses as it is easily turned to close or open a desired circuit, locks in operated position and may be released by a slight pressure on the handle or be arranged so that a lever on the switch hook of the telephone may engage the locking pin or an extension thereof to unlock and release the key.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a turn key having a coil spring linked to the shaft in such a manner as to exert both an endwise and circular pressure on the shaft so that the same is locked in operated position by a pin which is forced into a small slot by the endwise pressure of the spring when the shaft is manually turned, and so that the shaft is rotated to normal position when the shaft is manually depressed to move the pin out of its locking slot.

Further features will become apparent by a perusal of the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the key assembly showing a pair of contact springs controlled by the cam of the key;

FIG. 2 is a side view taken from the right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of the hub which forms a bearing for the key and showing the contour of the cam surface therein;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the key shaft and its operating cam;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the key handle and the collar therefor.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, I have shown a mounting bracket 2 upon which the parts of the key are assembled and which has its lower part 2a bent at a slight angle and the end of this lower section bent at right angles to the part 2a to form a mounting section 2b with holes 3 by means of which the key may be mounted in a telephone or like device. The upper end of bracket 2 is again bent at right angles to form the part 20 which has a large hole 4 into which the shoulder 6 of bearing hub 5 is inserted and tightly staked or welded. The bearing hub 5 is formed as shown in FIG. 3 with the enlarged upper portion, the shoulder 6, and the sleeve portion 7 having a cam surface 8 cut in its lower edge in the shape shown in FIG. 3. A hole 9 extends throughout the hub to act as a bearing for the key shaft. The cam surface 8 has a stop surface 8a and a slot 8b which cooperate with the roll pin of the key shaft as shown in FIG. 2.

The key shaft 10 is shown in detail in FIG. 4 and is preferably formed in one piece of an insulating material such as a phenolic condensation product. The upper end of the key shaft, shown at the left in FIG. 4, is of like dimension throughout its length from the cam 11 which is formed integrally with the shaft, to the upper or left end which has flat surfaces 12 on two sides so that a turning handle may be attached thereto. A hole 13 is provided into which a roll pin 14 is inserted as shown in FIG. 2. Below the cam 11 the shaft is slightly tapered downward to the lower bearing surface 15.

After the roll pin 14 has been inserted in hole 13 of the shaft, the upper end thereof is inserted in :the opening 9 of bearing hub 5 which is rigidly staked to part 2c of the bracket, with the roll pin engaging the cam surface 8 as shown in FIG. 2. A coil spring 16 formed of music wire has a projecting pin 17 at one end which is inserted into the hole 1% in the cam 11 of the shaft, and a pin 19 at its opposite end for insertion into a small hole in bracket 2 1). After the upper end of shaft 1tl has thus been inserted in its upper bearing hole 9 of hub 5 then the coil spring 16 is placed over the lower tapered end of shaft 11) with the upper pin 17 inserted in hole 13 of cam 11 and the bearing surface 15 is inserted into the lower hearing opening in the bracket 20 with the lower pin 19 of spring 16 inserted into a small hole in bracket 26 as shown in FIG. 2. The spring is wound slightly to provide circular tension and then bracket 20 is secured to bracket 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by means of screw 21 and stop screw 22 which has an elongated head which acts as a stop for the lower end of shaft 11) when pushed downward.

A handle 23, shown in detail in FIG. 5 is formed of a transparent Tenite or like material and has a corrugated or ribbed outer surface as shown with a forked end with a slot 24 adapted to fit over the hat surfaces 12 of key shaft 11 and having a spring collar 25 forced over the end 24 to tension the sides together so that the handle fits tightly over surfaces 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the bracket 21 is placed on bearing surface 15 and screwed in place on bracket 20, the spring 16 has been slightly compressed so that it has tension in two directions the endwise or longitudinal pressure tending to hold shaft 14 in its uppermost position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the pin 14 held tightly against its cam surface 8 or in the cam slot 81) if the shaft is turned. The circular tension is exerted in a counterclockwise direction (looking at the upper end of FIG. 1) on the shaft so that such tension always tends to turn the shaft, whenever pin 14 is not in slot Sb, so that pin 14 moves to the right as seen in FIG. 2 and pin 14 engages the stop surface 8a of its cam surface. Cam 11 has its outer operating surface in the position shown in FIG. 2.

On the up turned mounting surface 26 of bracket 2 are mounted a pair of contact springs 27 for operation by the operating surface 11a of cam 11 when the handle is turned clockwise. There may be any combination of spring contacts desired to be operated.

In operating the key, the handle is turned in a clockwise direction to move surface 11a around to engage and close springs 27. In this turning action the pin 14 rolls along the cam surface 8 until it meets the slot 817, at which time the endwise pressure of spring 16 becomes effective to move the shaft endwise or outward as soon as the pin engages the slot so that the pin enters slot Sb and the turned shaft is locked in the position to which it has been turned with the cam 11 still engaging springs 27 and holding them operated.

When it is desired to open springs 27 and release the key shaft from its locked position, a slight pressure exerted manually in a downward direction on the key handle will overcome the endwise tension of spring 16 and remove pin 14 from slot 811. As soon as pin 14 is moved out of its locking slot, then the circular tension of spring 16 becomes effective to turn shaft 10 and cam 11 counterclockwise so that pin 14 moves along its cam surface 8 until it engages the stop surface 8a to hold the shaft and cam in the position shown in FIG. 2. The circular tension in spring 16 is applied to the shaft through the medium of pin 17 which exerts its turning pressure on cam 11 to turn the shaft. Instead of manually depressing the end of handle 23 and allowing the tension of spring 16 to turn the cam 11 to normal, the hanfie may of course be manually turned by exerting only enough pressure to remove pin 14 from slot 8b.

It will thus be seen that the shaft 1% of the key has endwise movement as well as circular movement in the opening 9 in hub and in its lower bearing surface in bracket 25. The elongated head of screw 22 acts as a downward stop for the lower end of shaft 19. The spring 16 is compressed between cam 11 and bracket 26. Only a slight pressure is required on the top or smooth end surface of handle 23 to push shaft downward in its bearings so that pin 14- is moved out of slot 81) and the circular tension of spring 16 becomes effective to quickly restore the shaft and cam to normal position.

Having fully described the features and aspects of my invention, what I consider to be new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent will be pointed out in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a manually operated turn key, a set of contact springs to be operated, a key shaft with a turn handle at one end and a bracket with an upper and lower hearing in which the shaft is rotatable and endwise movable for a limited space, said springs mounted on said bracket adjacent said shaft, a cam on the shaft for operating said springs, a pin on the shaft andv a cam surface on the underside of said upper. bearing, a coil spring surrounding said shaft and secured at one end to the cam and at the other end to said lower bearing, said spring exerting circular and endwise pressure on said cam to hold the shaft in normal rotary position and press the pin against said cam surface, a slot in said cam surface, said spring holding said pin in said slot when the shaft is turned into operate position with the cam operating the springs to lock the shaft in operated position, said spring exerting circular pressure to move the pin along thecam surface to normal position when the shaft is manually depressed to move the pin out of the slot.

2. In a switching key, a mounting bracket having an upper and a lower bearing with a key shaft supported therein for endwise and rotary movement, a pair of contact springs supported on said bracket with a cam on the shaft effective to close the springs when the shaft is rotated, a pin on the shaft and a cam surface having a stop surface at one end thereof and a slot at the other end thereof, a coil spring encircling said shaft secured at one end to the shaft and at the other end to the lower bearing, said spring having endwise tension tending to hold the shaft in position so that the pin engages said cam surface, and having rotary tension always tending to move the shaft in a rotary direction to move the pin along the cam surface from the slot to the stop surface, a handle on the shaft by means of which the shaft is manually moved against the tension of the spring to cause the cam to operate the springs, said spring effective when the shaft is moved to operate position, to move the shaft endwise to cause said pin to enter said slot to lock the shaft in operate position, a slight downward pressure on said handle removing said pin from its slot and permitting the rotary tension of the spring to return the shaft to normal position with the pin against said stop surface.

3. In an manually operated turn key, a shaft formed from insulating material with a bearing surface at each end thereof and a cam in the center thereof, a bracket having an upper bear-ing into which the upper bearing surface isinserted and a second bracket attached to said first bracket and forming a bearing for the lower hearing surface of the shaft, a pin inserted in a hole in the shaft and a cam surface on the underside of said upper bearing cooperating with said pin, a coil spring encircling the shaft with one end secured to the lower bearing bracket and the other end secured to said cam, said spring exerting endwise and circular pressure on said cam to hold the pin against said cam surface and to rotate counterclockwise along said surface, a slot in said cam surface, a pair of contact springs adjacent said cam, a handle for moving the shaft clockwise to cause said cam to operate said springs, a slot in said cam surface, said spring exerting endwise pressure on the shaft when in operate position to move the pin into the slot to lock the key operated and prevent the coil spring from moving the shaft.

4. A turn key such as claimed in claim 3 in which said handle has a knurled outer surface for turning the key and a flat end surface, manual pressure against said fiat end surface overcoming the endwise tension of the coil spring to move the pin from the slot and permit said circular tension to return the key to normal position. I

5. In a manually operable turn key, a shaft having an operating element and a pair of contact springs adjacent thereto and operable by the element when the key is manually turned, upper and lower bearings for the shaft permitting endwise and rotary movement thereof, a roll pin projecting from one side of the shaft, a cam surface having a slot at one end and a stop surface at the other end, a coil spring encircling said shaft and secured at one end to a bearing and at the other end to said element, said spring exerting endwise pressure on the shaft to force said pin against said cam surface and exerting rotary pressure on the shaft to turn the shaft to move the pin along the cam surface to the stop surface, said endwise pressure moving the shaft to force said pin into the slot when the shaft is rotated to operate the contact springs to lock the same in operated position, said rotary pressure restoring the pin to rotary position adjacent the stop surface when the shaft is manually depressed to remove the pin from the slot.

6. In a locking turn key for controlling the closure and opening of contact springs, a shaft having a cam V thereon for controlling the springs, a bracket supporting said springs, said shaft mounted in hearings on said bracket in which the shaft is movable endwise and in a rotary direction, a handle for manually turning said shaft, means for exerting an upward tension on the shaft and for exerting a tension on the same tending to rotate it in counterclockwise direction, a cam surface on the underside of one of said bearings having a notch thereon, a pin on the shaft held against said cam surface by the upward tension and normally urged away from said notch by the rotary tension, said pin moved along said cam surface when the shaft is rotated clockwise by means of said handle and forced into said notch at the end of said clockwise movement to lock the shaft against rotation, said pin released from said notch by manual endwise pressure on the handle and returned to normal rotary position by said rotary tension.

No references cited. 

1. IN A MANUALLY OPERATED TURN KEY, A SET OF CONTACT SPRINGS TO BE OPERATED, A KEY SHAFT WITH A TURN HANDLE AT ONE END AND A BRACKET WITH AN UPPER AND LOWER BEARING IN WHICH THE SHAFT IS ROTATABLE AND ENDWISE MOVABLE FOR A LIMITED SPACE, SAID SPRINGS MOUNTED ON SAID BRACKET ADJACENT SAID SHAFT, A CAM ON THE SHAFT FOR OPERATING SAID SPRINGS, A PIN ON THE SHAFT AND A CAM SURFACE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID UPPER BEARING, A COIL SPRING SURROUNDING SAID SHAFT AND SECURED AT ONE END TO THE CAM AND AT THE OTHER END TO SAID LOWER BEARING, SAID SPRING EXERTING CIRCULAR AND ENDWISE PRESSURE ON SAID CAM TO HOLD THE SHAFT IN NORMAL ROTARY POSITION AND PRESS THE PIN AGAINST SAID CAM SURFACE, A SLOT IN SAID CAM SURFACE, SAID SPRING HOLDING SAID PIN IN SAID SLOT WHEN THE SHAFT IS TURNED INTO OPERATE POSITION WITH THE CAM OPERATING THE SPRINGS TO LOCK THE SHAFT IN OPERATED POSITION, SAID SPRING EXERTING CIRCULAR PRESSURE TO MOVE THE PIN ALONG THE CAM SURFACE TO NORMAL POSITION WHEN THE SHAFT IS MANUALLY DEPRESSED TO MOVE THE PIN OUT OF THE SLOT. 